Sony and Honda give up on their joint EV project | TechCrunch

Last day to exhibit your breakthrough to 10,000+ tech leaders at Disrupt is on Oct 2. Book Exhibit Table Now. Disrupt doors open Oct. 13. Get your pass and bring someone with you at 50% off. REGISTER NOW. Sony Honda Mobility, the joint venture established by the two Japanese conglomerates, has decided to give up on the two “Afeela”-branded EVs that it has spent the last few years developing. The decision comes after Honda announced earlier this month that it was doing a major about-face and canceling three electric vehicles planned for the U.S. market — a decision that could cost the Japanese automaker nearly $16 billion. Honda blamed President Trump’s tariffs and rising competition from China as reasons for that decision. Sony Honda Mobility said Wednesday that it had planned to use “certain technologies and assets” from Honda to make and support the Afeela sedan and SUV, and that the Japanese automaker’s change in strategy left the joint venture in a position where it can no longer develop the vehicles. The Afeela 1 sedan was supposed to launch later this year with an eye-watering starting price of around $90,000. It’s not clear what will happen next to the joint venture, or the